What are nerve cells?

According to Eric H. Chudler, Ph.D., nerve cells, otherwise known as neurons, carry messages through an electrochemical process. Nerve cells range in size, some of which have cell bodies that are only 4 micorns wide and others which have 100 microns wide! They are generally located in the nerve tissue, which is located in the nervous system.

Nerve cells, according to the National Cancer Institute, consist of three basic parts: cell body, one or more dendrites, and a single axon. The cell body is similar to other cells, in which it has a nucleus with at least one nucleolus and many cytoplasmic organelles. Dendrites, sometimes referred as fibers, increase their surface area to receive signals from other neurons. Axons are surrounded by myelin, which is made of fibers that make gray matter.

visual of nerve cell
picture credits: Wikipedia

There are many different neurotransmitters, according to National Institute on Drug Abuse, each playing a precise role in the function of the brain. Generally, each neurotransmitter can only bind to a very specific matching receptor, fitting in like a key into a lock.


References
"Neuroscience For Kids." - Cells of the Nervous System. Web. 31 Aug. 2015.
"SEER Training Modules." SEER Training:Nerve Tissue. Web. 31 Aug. 2015.
"Nerve Cells and Neurotransmission." NIDA for Teens. Web. 31 Aug. 2015.

Excess Sweetness?

Throughout the lab, my lab partner and I tasted various samples of starches, ranging from sucrose to cellulose. From the various samples, we ranked those by their degree of sweetness and noted their color & texture. After noting all those observations, we observed that the sugars, which were least complex by having only one ring, had the highest degree of sweetness. As the sugars have more rings, the less sweet those sugars are. Also, when my lab partner and I finished tasting the sugars, we noted how some of these sugars reflect how sweet they are in other foods. For example, I remembered how fructose is included in many soft drinks, such as Kool Aid and other drinks, which provided evidence that fructose should be sweet.

One way you can view tasting sweetness is as a key being inserted into a lock. According to NPR, the sugar simulates receptor cells on the outer tips of the taste cells when a person tastes something with a high level of sugar. The receptor cells then send signals to particular centers of the central nervous system that respond to sweet.

The different sugar samples my partner and I used are presented on this paper towel.